PANJIM: Ahead of the forthcoming by-polls and Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has reminded the BJP-led coalition government if it has ‘forgotten the promise’ to the people of Goa to shut down casinos.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, party president Girish Chodankar referred to the Law Commission’s report that speaks of a ban on unlawful betting and gambling.
“The Law Commission of India’s report titled ‘Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including in Cricket in India’ to the government on July 2018 recommended that legalising betting and gambling in India in the present scenario is not desirable and that a complete ban on unlawful betting and gambling must be ensued,” he said quoting a reply from the Minister of State for Law and Justice PP Chaudhary in the Parliament last year.
Chodankar slammed the Manohar Parrikar-led government for repeatedly shying away from fulfilling its promise made during the 2012 State legislative assembly elections, that Goa will be free from casinos culture. “If the government is willing to ban casinos, we (the party) will submit the Law Commission’s report to it. Let the government examine the report and ban the casinos,” he added.
The Opposition party also reacted to Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik’s recent comment that a solution to mining crisis is expected by February 15. “He should not forget… the people of Goa are waiting to know what the solution is,” he commented adding that the deadline is Friday, being February 15.
Naik had said that the Central government was aware of the issue and a solution was likely by February 15. “The government is on it and we still hope to find a solution by February 15, after Parliament Session concludes on February 13,” he had told reporters on the sidelines of a State government function at Porvorim on Sunday.
